Ari

I read voraciously and like to cook, write stories, and play around on the computer. I like the idea of gardening, but hate weeding and tend to kill off houseplants by sheer neglect.

I love seeing new places and cultures. If I had an unlimited amount of money, I'd travel around the world, but most of the time I enjoy the life of a cranky hermit.

A note about rating: I usually rate soon after receiving a swap but if I forget, please feel free to PM me and give me a nudge!

If you don't receive a swap from me or if there's a problem with the swap, I'd appreciate a PM before rating. I'm quite reasonable, and will try to work problems out when possible. Thank you!

David Bowie, The Cure, My Chemical Romance, The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, just about anything 80s.

Not really big on rap, R&B or country.

I read almost anything, but especially love fantasy (Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman), some sci-fi (Lois McMaster Bujold), historical fiction, mysteries, travel memoirs, and other interesting non-fiction.

I like books with a good plot and characterization. I'm not a big fan of romances or chick-lit, and I didn't care for the Twilight series at all.

I'm not terribly good at crafting, but I like cross-stitch and simple sewing projects.

ATCs look fascinating and I'm interested in giving those a try, so any supplies or beginner's advice would be welcome! I'm terrible at drawing/painting, but I do enjoy wielding a glue stick with wild abandon.

This is just a general list of things that make me happy. If you want a more specific list, it's further down the page. :)

chocolate, a good cup of tea and a biscuit, thunderstorms, sushi, the sea, fairytales, trees, waterfalls, roadtrips, mix CDs, learning about new cultures, surprises in the mail, baking, photography, cozy socks, graveyards, stationery, gel pens, walking in the woods, gardens, handmade paper, windy days, owls, geodes

Favorite colors: black, dark red, silver, shades of blue and green. I like dark colors and earth tones rather than bright colors or neon colors.

Please don't consider this a begging list! I'm just writing a few things down to help future swap partners.

• little things specific to your country or region: candy, snacks, tea towels, crafts, postcards.

• scrapbooking paper/cardstock for ATCs in interesting patterns/textures, brads, embellishments, ephemera

• gold and/or silver metallic markers, fine point colored markers

• rubber stamping supplies like ink pads and stamps (new or used). I don't have any, but it looks like fun! I'd especially love to have a set of tiny alphabet stamps to spell out words with on ATCs. Flower designs, sun/moon/stars, etc. would be fantastic, too-- anything small enough to be used on an ATC, really.

• Mix CDs-- I'd love to hear your favorite songs and artists, even if they don't completely match up with my tastes. :)

• Chatty letters. Handwritten is a bonus, although as someone with terrible handwriting, I completely understand if people prefer to type it.

• Tea biscuits/cookies/tea cakes. McVities plain chocolate with or without caramel, chocolate Hob Nobs, ginger, lemon, cinnamon, custard cremes, Jaffa cakes, petits four... I am addicted to little sweet nibbly things that go well with tea!

• Hazelnut Snickers bars. I cannot believe we don't get these in the States. :( If you have access to them, maybe we could arrange a private swap?

• Personalized swapcards or address labels. I didn't even think of this until I saw other people using them, but it's a great idea.

• Your handmade specialty. I love seeing what other people do, especially since I'm not very good at crafting myself. Do you take photgraphs? Draw? Sew, knit or crochet? Bring it on. ;D

• One can never have too many gel pens! I'm partial to Pilot G-2 medium points (0.7) in black ink for everyday use, but I also just like gel pens in general, so colored ones would be fun, too.

I won't get angry or upset if these things end up in a package, but the truth is I'll be a bit disappointed if I can't use what you sent.

• Cutesy things with lots of pink and pastel colors. There is nothing wrong with stuff that's covered in hearts, puppies and daisies, it's just not to my taste.

• Stereotypical girly things. I'm not a very girly sort of person-- I don't fuss with hair or make-up, never wear perfume, loathe shoe shopping, don't get the appeal of "Sex and the City", etc. etc.

• Strongly scented or perfumed items. I'm not severely allergic, but they make me feel a bit odd, so I prefer not to have them in the house.

• Licorice

• Bath/body products like lotions, soap, etc. They're perfectly nice, but I probably won't use them.

• Things with artificial sweeteners. I don't know why, but they taste bitter and unpleasant to me for some reason, so sugarfree sweets are generally out.

• Items of a religious nature. I'm not particularly religious, and I definitely won't appreciate any religious literature or anything intended to proselytize or convert a heathen. They'd be wasted on me. :)

• Filler. Please don't feel the need to include stuff just for the sake of filling up extra space. This includes random supplies for crafts I don't do, junky stuff, or things you're getting rid of from your stash. :(

Note: I have a slight sensitivity to cigarette smoke. It's not life-threatening, but even relatively low-level exposure leaves with me an irritated throat and sinuses. I know sometimes this can't be helped, but it's something you may want to keep in mind if you come from a smoking household.

Honestly, I'm happy with what most people send as long as they put thought and effort into it. I really appreciate it when people pay attention to likes/dislikes and try to personalize a package for me. It makes my day. :)

[Added because it might be relevant to specific swaps.]

For tea, I drink mostly black tea and blends like English or Irish breakfast, but also like chai, flowery jasmine teas, oolong and green tea. Don't like fruit teas or herbal teas quite as much, but am willing to give them a try. Trying other peoples' favorites is also fun!

I like sweets in general, especially chocolate, both milk and dark. Cadbury's Fruit and Nut bar is one of my favorites! I also love dark chocolate with hazelnuts. Toffee, caramel and mint combined with chocolate is great, too.

I don't have any food allergies except a slight lactose intolerance, which I blithely ignore. :)